Steaming Baths and Warming Hearts
by Videru
Summary: After a particularly rough day, Lady Kamui heads for the hot spring seeking some relief. Little did she know she would find a different sort of comfort. **Rated M for touches of lime, no smut though**
A/N: I've taken some liberty at changing the wording of the bath conversation to make it sound less awkward. I tried to keep the same meaning though.

I also chose to use the original names from the Japanese version, although I used the names Hoshido and Nohr for the kingdom's. Just a matter of taste!

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"Just my luck…" mumbled Kamui as she dragged her feet across camp, heading for her quarters. It had been an incredibly long day and it was barely midday! All she wanted was to crawl into her warm bed and hide under the blankets until a new day rose. Well… she would probably bathe first to get the stench of stale water off her. Ugh, why did she have to be such a loudmouth? If she could only keep her thoughts to herself, she would be saved a great deal of trouble. Improving her drinking skills could probably help too.

Ryouma's birthday had been two nights ago and of course the whole camp had gone nuts with the celebration. A feast had been served and accompanied with bottles and bottles of the best sake in the kingdom. Although usual drunken behaviour would be unbecoming of the High Prince of Hoshido, Ryouma was quite fond of sake and his merry drinking had led to a huge shots contest that had surprisingly been won by Kazahana. Now that had been a sight to behold! Especially when shortly after, she had climbed on a table and blurted out her massive and apparently infuriating crush on Cyrus, all the while waving a daikon radish in the air. Yeah, epic. Too bad he passed out before he could give an answer! Of course everything had been denied the morning after, and there had been no sober witnesses to confirm the confession. Now that was bad luck!

Although not as bad as hers...

**FLASHBACK**

As part of the royal family, Kamui joined her siblings for drink after drink until she had to remain on her seat for fear of falling flat on her butt if she tried to walk. That and puking all over her siblings, whichever came first.

"Aww, is our lovely sister feeling sick?" Takumi began in a mocking tone. "Should I fetch your clingy butler to walk you to your quarters?"

Kamui just rolled her eyes and downed her shot of sake, half amused and half irked. Takumi took her silence as an invitation to continue his assault. He was known for being particularly short tempered when he drank.

"Being raised in Nohr, of course your tolerance to sake would be 'weak'" the archer pressed on as he refilled Kamui's cup. "I guess I cannot blame you"

"Takumi" Ryouma warned while staring his brother down, half expecting the usual bickering to begin.

To everyone's surprise though, the silver haired princess refrained from answering and simply downed the drink.

"Milady, perhaps you should take it easy for the rest of the night" whispered Joker, who had been beside himself with horror at seeing his lady down cup after cup of alcohol.

"My, you're still conscious! I thought you might've passed out already. Here, have another" Takumi served a cup and sloppily placed it before the butler. "Although you should probably take it easy too. You know, being a Nohrian and all you probably can't hold too much of this exquisite Hoshidan drink either"

That's it.

"Well he can probably hold his drink much better than you can hold a bow to hunt for game"

For a moment, the whole party seemed to go silent.

"Excuse me?"

"If I remember correctly, the last time MY Joker joined the hunting party he returned with a huge deer while you couldn't even shoot a rabbit" retorted Kamui, challenging her brother with her intense gaze. "Hell, I could even shoot a dead chicken before you could even draw an arrow!"

Takumi's face matched the shade of Kamui's red eyes by then, as could Joker's. But as much as he wanted to linger on his mistress' passionate defense, Joker was more concerned with planning how exactly he was going to intercept every single arrow Takumi was surely gonna shoot at Kamui.

"Oh yeah? Let's prove that, shall we?" Takumi glared at his sister and downed one more shot of sake, slamming the cup so hard on the table that it cracked. "Hinata, bring my bow at once!" No response. "Hinata, I said bring my bow!" "..."

"Where the hell is that lazy basta-"

"Enough foolishness, Takumi! Sit down" commanded Ryouma, finally dispelled from Kamui's brave retort. No one had ever picked on Takumi's hunting skills before! "No one's going to shoot anyone tonight. You should be ashamed of yourself!" Takumi lowered his gaze to the crown prince. "Now behave accordingly with our sister or leave"

Takumi gritted his teeth but managed to remain seated.

"Oooh, we're not letting our little brother leave, are we? Everything's all forgotten" Kamui saw her chance and poured sake into Takumi's cracked cup. "Here, have another"

Takumi suppressed a growl as he pushed the cup away from him, blushing even more at the giggles of his siblings. Slowly, the party returned to its cheerful tone and the little episode was soon forgotten.

"Royals sure are scary when they drink..." Muttered Mozume in a shy voice, shifting on her seat a few tables away.

"You have no idea!" Hinata answered as he got out from under the table, resuming his cheerful drinking as everyone else.

**END OF FLASHBACK**

Of course, nothing had been forgotten and Takumi had launched his attack at the first chance. Since Kamui had such a talent for "shooting dead chickens", the silver haired archer had assigned her "hunting trap duty" for the rest of the week.

Checking a few traps for boars or other game would be no hassle at all, except when it was air heads they caught: Setsuna had managed to break the biggest trap and roll it into a pit full of stinky water, and still get caught in it. Needless to say, nothing had gotten caught.

"I really tried to be careful, but I kept stepping on all the triggers and they kept going CRASH" Setsuna had explained calmly as Kamui untangled her hair from the wire. Lucky she hadn't gotten skinned bald!

The young princess had released Setsuna and sent her off quickly, and after falling a couple times back on that stinky water, she had managed to get the trap out. So she began praying that she could reset the device before someone noticed...

"Kamui, what have you done?!" An angry voice resounded from behind her.

...of course, that would've been too merciful of the gods.

"Listen, Takumi..."

Of course listening had been the last thing the archer prince had done, and within minutes their angry screams could be heard all the way back to camp. In no time at all Ryouma was lecturing his stubborn siblings, a half irritated and half ashamed tone to his deep voice.

"Is this the way a leader behaves? How far are you going to take a drunken quarrel? I am deeply ashamed of you both!" Ryouma spat, breathing deeply to try to regain some composure. "I know Takumi is stubborn, but I honestly expected better of you, Kamui"

That's when Kamui couldn't hold her gaze to Ryouma any longer. As Takumi rolled his eyes and left, she was left to wonder if her younger brother was ever going to accept her fully. Sure, the thing at the party had just been drunken bickering, but his recent outburst about responsibility and "knowing and respecting the Hoshidan way of life" had truly gotten to her. Perhaps she really was too much of an outsider to this kingdom to ever belong...

"I wonder what else will go wrong today?" the young princess muttered as she walked across camp, rounding a corner and tripping on a purple piece of fabric. "Darn it! What the...?"

As Kamui picked up the garment, she noticed it was Suzukaze's scarf. Before she could begin wondering why it was on the ground, soft giggles reached her ears. Walking a few paces and being careful not to make a sound, Kamui found the ninja resting cross-legged against a tree. That would've been perfectly normal had it not been for Orochi sitting on his lap and lovingly caressing his green hair, whispering things in that decadent voice of hers that made Kaze smile and laugh heartily.

Kamui stifled a giggle and went around the area so as to not intrude. They looked so happy... It was heartwarming to see them being so openly loving. It was also bittersweet to see her companions so happy when she was so conflicted about her own relationship with her lover.

A blush crept up Kamui's cheeks for the 100th time as the term "lover" swirled around in her mind. Referring to that person as her lover still seemed too foreign to her, especially when nothing had truly happened between them yet. Hearing her beloved Joker admit his feelings had truly made her heart sing and her mind imagine the bliss it would be from then on. However, not much had changed. Sure, Kamui had managed to steal a few kisses from her handsome butler (with great effort!), but they still slept in separate rooms and he kept addressing her formally. Would it ever be possible for them to share a moment so intimate in the open as Suzukaze and Orochi?

Kamui sighed heavily as she entered her quarters, heading straight for a fresh change of clothes and a towel. Although their relationship was official and everyone had been quite happy for them, Joker seemed to still have a hard time breaching that servant-mistress gap. Besides their first kiss, Joker maintained his composure around Kamui, seeming completely unaffected by their exchanges. It was quite frustrating since she felt like she was burning just by being in the same room as him. Hoping that it would just be a matter of time, Kamui put those thoughts aside and made her way to the bathhouse, with only a white towel covering her black undergarments.

Since the bath house was literally a hot spring, it was always steamy in there and so it was no safe indicator of anyone using it. Needless to say, everyone had pretty much run into everyone while bathing at some point. Some occasions had made for great memories, but others... Yeah, they were best forgotten soon. So considering her luck as of late, Kamui crossed the door praying that she would not run into any half naked m-

"What a pleasant surprise"

"Oh!" Kamui almost jumped out of her skin as she heard Joker's deep voice. She had just gotten into the water and could barely make out her butler's silhouette amid the steam.

"Kamui..." The lack of any honorifics was not lost to her, and neither was the sultry cadence to his voice. "I didn't expect you to join me today. It's a pleasant surprise"

Kamui's heart skipped a beat as she made her way into the spring, taking a seat by the edge. For a second, the princess thought of leaving but his inviting tone had drawn her in. She could clearly see now the softness in Joker's eyes as he smiled warmly at her. Heat surged in her cheeks and not exactly because of the hot water.

"Ah, Joker" Kamui shifted nervously: besides the first kiss they shared, they had never been in such an intimate situation. "It is nice to get to share a bath with you. It... It warms my heart"

Kamui felt her face on fire as she heard Joker chuckle softly. 'Warms my heart?! Ugh way to be cheesy, Kamui!'

"I'm a lucky man for my beloved to feel that way. I love you very much, my dear."

Despite her furious blushing, the Hoshidan royal desperately needed to look at her lover: his hair was still neatly braided, wet only on the ends, and drops of clear water ran down his lean but well muscled chest and abs, making her wonder if it would have a sweet taste if she ran her tongue across his skin. But most captivating was his smile: sweet and confident as his pale fingers beckoned for her.

"Here... Come closer"

For a moment, Joker thought she would just stand up and leave. Confusion and embarrassment were clearly written across Kamui's face, but she did not waver in the end. 'This is what you were craving earlier, so man up!' And silently resolving to seize this chance, Kamui made her way towards his open arms.

"Oommfff!" Of course her foot slipped on the slippery bottom of the spring, making her lose her balance and flail her arms gracelessly.

"Hey, careful there" Joker whispered as his arms immediately snaked around her waist, supporting her as if she was weightless. "Hold on to me"

Kamui closed her eyes in embarrassment as Joker secured an arm over her shoulders and the other around her waist, placing her safely on his lap.

HIS LAP?!

"Joker..." Kamui murmured as her lover pulled her closer toward his chest. Her heart beat so fast she thought she might choke.

"It's alright. I got you, my love"

Joker's fingers made their way to her hair, softly massaging her silky tresses and her scalp. Kamui's body began relaxing, her eyes closing of their own accord. Or so they would have, had it not been for two slender fingers slowly running along her jaw and turning her to face him.

"Joker..." The pleading tone of her own voice surprised the young princess, but his face looked just so handsome! His violet eyes were glassy with a strong emotion she wasn't familiar with but that sent shivers right through her. Or was it Jakob's fingers drawing circles right on her hip? "Joker I..." Her arms found their rightful place around his neck, drawing them even closer. "I want..."

What did she want? She pondered on her own words for a second, lost on the feeling of her husband's breath softly tickling her neck.

"You want...?" His deep voice teased her as his gaze shifted between her red eyes and her pink lips. Only then did she notice his faint smirk, smug yet tantalizing. Was this really the same Joker who still freaked out about just holding her hand?

"I... I..."

Before she could word her plea, Jakob's strong hand cupped the back of her head and pressed their lips together, drawing a muffled "oh" from her. He chuckled softly and took his chance to capture her lower lip between his, gently sucking on it before teasing it experimentally with the tip of his tongue.

The contact was so sudden and foreign that she sharply drew in a breath, giving Joker the perfect chance to delve his apparently expert tongue into her mouth. It was warm and soft against her own, so gentle yet inviting that she couldn't help but tease it with her own. Yeah, this is exactly what she needed.

"Ah, Kamui..." He drew away from her for a moment, looking for any trace of discomfort in her eyes at his bold actions. All he saw though was the deep blush that graced her cheeks and her parted lips, panting slightly as she kept eyeing his own lips hungrily. He wasted no time and assaulted her mouth again.

Kamui's small hands tightened around his neck, quickly messing up his perfect braids. His hair was extremely soft, just as she had always imagined it would be. Kamui moaned as she briefly wonder what other parts of his body would be soft too, giving Joker the perfect chance to catch her lower lip between his teeth.

"Ahh! Mmmh..." She wanted to say something, anything! But as his perfectly white teeth pulled back with her lip still caught between them, she was yet again reduced to a mess of moans.

Yes, she was moaning, and it was driving Joker crazy. He felt a certain part of his lower anatomy stirr to life and so he shifted her quickly on his leg, keeping her at a safe distance so she wouldn't notice. The sudden movement caused some friction right on her core and she moaned louder, throwing her head back and disconnecting their lips.

Trying to make up for the loss of warmth, Joker's mouth ran across the white column of Kamui's neck, nipping gently and drawing swirly shapes with his warm tongue. This was too much, the silver haired girl felt like some pressure was building inside her but she didn't know how to relieve it.

"Ah, Joker..." Still with her eyes closed, Kamui ran a hand from his neck down his chest, using the one around his neck as leverage to rock her hips slightly against his toned leg. Yeah, that felt like it could relieve the pressure and so she grazed Joker's chest with her nails as she bucked her hips harder this time.

"Ahh, milady..." There it was again. The movement of her hips so close to his groin was too much and he managed to regain some composure, drawing slightly from her soft skin. "Maybe this-"

Kamui cut him off this time by kissing him eagerly, taking her turn at invading his mouth with her tongue. Jakob obliged but tried to guide her through a slower kiss, fighting the urge to just ravish her right there.

"Joker" she moaned his name as they drew apart to breathe, gasping softly. "That was..."

He blushed profusely at her adoring expression. He had imagined her countless times looking at him just like that, with reddened cheeks and a hint of desire in her eyes, but reality beat the fantasy by far. He had waited too long for this and he would savor each moment.

"Might I ask something?" Kamui began after a few minutes in silence, still sitting on his lap and gently running her fingertips across his chest. Jakob couldn't find his voice so he simply nodded. "Why the sudden change?"

"Pardon me?" Joker tilted his head in confusion.

"I mean..." Kamui panicked a little. Was she ready to openly talk about these things? "We haven't... Umm, you know... You and I..."

Joker stared at her blankly as she mumbled brokenly, trying to piece together what she meant.

"Oh" they hadn't done 'that' yet. Of course! "Umm yes, we... haven't"

"Yes, well... You've been distant this whole time, so I was wondering why... Why 'this' now"

Joker almost felt his nose bleed at the incredibly cute face Kamui made, all flustered and trying to avoid his gaze. Then he pondered on her question: she was right, up until then he had been trying really hard to mind his distance and remain formal with his mistress. Well, except for that one time he had lost it and kissed her senseless in the armory, but that was entirely different. Of course this would seem out of the ordinary to the Hoshidan princess.

"You are right, my dear. I did try to mind myself around you, especially after learning about each other's feelings. And I am truly sorry for that" Joker lifted Kamui off his lap and sat her between his legs, her back slightly grazing his chest. He wanted to remain close but was embarrassed to have her look so closely as he was about to explain his actions. He wrapped both arms around her shoulders and pushed her flat against his chest. "The truth is that I was feeling very insecure, milady"

"Insecure?"

"Yes" he affirmed in a calm voice, lowering his face to rest his forehead against Kamui's shoulder. She felt his heartbeat increase against her back. "I was feeling unfit to be with you"

"Joker..." Kamui tried to turn around but his arms kept her in place. She just wanted to slick her body against his and kiss his lips until he understood how much she wanted him, only him. Could it be that she hadn't done enough to reassure him that her feelings were honest? "I am sorry if-"

"No, my dear. It was nothing you did" he cut her off quickly, daring to place a fleeting kiss against her shoulder blade. A delicious shiver ran down her spine at that. "I am your butler, a mere servant with nothing to his name but his worthless honor. It was only natural to be overcome with feelings of inadequacy. If anything, you were extremely gracious to... To even think of returning my affections"

Kamui's chest tightened at his words. Why hadn't she noticed he needed to be reassured of her feelings? All this time she had been selfish, frustrated at his lack of interest, but she hadn't considered how big this change truly was for him. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

"To be honest, I didn't know how to act around you. I am deeply sorry if that came off as indifference on my part" he continued, distracting her slightly by running slow circles around her shoulders with his fingers. "But then Prince Ryouma spoke to me and made me realize how idiotic I was acting"

"What? Ryouma?"

"Yes. Shortly after the first bottles had been opened and poured at his birthday celebration, Lord Ryouma asked me to have a drink with him" Joker's voice seemed to lighten up at the memory, making Kamui's heart feel a little lighter too. "He thanked me. I was aghast... He thanked me for choosing to be with you."

"...big brother did?" Kamui went still and Joker paused briefly, letting his words sink in.

"Yes, can you believe that? He thanked 'me' for being with you. He said he was happy that you had found someone..." The silver haired butler stopped as his voice faltered slightly. Clearing his throat, he tried to continue. "Someone honorable to look after you. He said it was relieving to see you so happy, and to be with the one you cherished so"

Heh, it would be like Ryouma to say something bluntly honest like that. After all, she had confessed her crush on Joker to Ryouma before she even considered acting upon it. Kamui's heart warmed at her brother's protectiveness; she would have to thank him for his kind words to her Joker.

"I was out of my mind with embarrassment, but then he said it was truly fate to have found each other in these troublesome times and that I should treasure each moment with you. And I decided I should" he whispered the last sentence, his lips ghosting against the crook of her neck, inching towards her earlobe. "If you chose to love me, who am I to refuse? I will give my all to you... From now on"

Kamui couldn't help the moan that escaped her lips as Joker gently nibbled on her earlobe. Damn, that felt so good... Yes, she wanted all of Joker. She wanted it now.

"Mmh, Joker... I love you..." Her voice resembled a squeal, how could she speak if his delicious tongue was tracing the shell of her ear?!

She murmured something unintelligible as he lowered his arms down her body, slowly running one hand across her flat stomach toward her hips and the other up against her side. She shifted her hips and brushed lightly between Joker's legs, feeling a distinct hardness pressing against the small of her back. _'Oh my, he_ is...' The deep moan that left his lips did not go unnoticed either; it faintly resembled a low growl.

Convinced that this was what she had been craving, Kamui reached back with her arms and caressed Joker's shoulders and neck, trying to bring him closer to her body. He continued nibbling on her neck, kissing her so insistently that she wondered if it would leave a mark. Oh, she'd love to have a love bite!

Being unable to resist any longer, Joker turned her enough toward him so he could crash his lips against hers. It was incredible how responsive and inviting she was to his advances, it was making it difficult to take things slow. The kiss turned fierce quickly: Kamui matched his passion as she tugged on his lower lip with her teeth. He was growing really fond of this aggressive side of her, as well as to her silky soft skin. As her velvety tongue danced across his lips, seeking entrance, Joker ran his fingertips across her side and back, brushing insistently over the straps of her black top.

A wild idea popped up in Joker's mind. Of course he wouldn't take her here, his beloved princess deserved a perfect first night instead of a rushed romp in a public hot spring. That didn't mean they couldn't just tease around a little more though...

"Joker, please..." Her voice sounded higher in pitch than usual, almost like a sob. But she couldn't help it when that damned butler of hers kept gently tugging on the strings of her bra! Why hadn't he ripped it off her already?! "You're such a tease..."

Joker laughed heartily at this, leaving the black fabric at once and choosing to run his fingers across her flat stomach, ghosting on the underside of her breasts. The skin there was so soft Joker couldn't help it but slide his fingers a little further into her bra. Her breath caught in her throat. It was too much! That strange pressure was back between her legs, she needed-

"BRIGANDS!"

"What?!" Kamui jumped off Joker's lap and almost slipped again, had it not been for his grip on her slender waist.

"BRIGANDS ON SITE, PREPARE TO COUNTER ATTACK!" Tsubaki's voice resounded all across camp, accompanied by the flapping of his pegasus' wings. "EVERYONE TO THE FRONTLINES!"

Kamui and Joker shared a look of amusing frustration. Of course this couldn't be such a perfect moment! His hand caressed her cheek tenderly before placing a quick kiss on her forehead.

"Duty calls, my love" he affirmed with a mischievous glint in his violet eyes. "We shall continue this 'love duty' soon though; very soon, milady"

Before Kamui blushed any harder, Joker bowed before her and helped her out of the spring, rushing to get their clothes on and join the blasted battle.

"It better be 'very soon' Joker! And that's an order!"

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I hope you enjoyed it! Comments are always welcome.


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